Scientists from UCSF and collaborators applied an extended network diffusion model to brain imaging and gene expression data from 196 individuals to understand differential vulnerability to tau pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The study identified novel gene categories influencing the spread and accumulation of tau protein tangles, elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying selective vulnerability and resilience across brain regions. Their findings, published in Brain, provide detailed insight into how risk genes align with or act independently from brain connectivity to affect disease progression.